Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has torn into Sunrisers Leeds and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) owner Kavya Maran for buying Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed at The Hundred 2026 auction. On March 12, Sunrisers outbid Trent Rockets and acquired the mystery spinner for £190,000 (approximately INR 2.34 crore).
In the aftermath, Indian fans online were enraged since Abrar had allegedly mocked the Indian armed forces last year via a social media post. But Sunrisers stuck to their guns. Daniel Vettori, head coach of the franchise, even stated that Abrar was among their desired spinner options, and he wasn’t told to refrain from picking a Pakistani player.
Blood on SRH’s hands?
Gavaskar has claimed that Sunrisers and Maran will be responsible for Indian casualties going forward. The money they’ll pay to Abrar will directly go to the Pakistani government via tax, which will then be used to buy weapons that result in the death of Indians.
“The furore created by the acquisition of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner of a franchise in The Hundred is hardly surprising. Ever since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, Indian franchise owners have simply ignored Pakistani players for the IPL. Although belated, the realisation that the fees that they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government which buys arms and weapons, indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians is making Indian entities refrain from even considering having Pakistani artistes and sportspersons,” Gavaskar wrote in a column for Mid-Day.
Trophy over lives?
The cricket legend understands that Vettori, who’s in charge of the Sunrisers Leeds, doesn’t understand the complexity of the India-Pakistan relationship. But Maran does. He questioned whether winning The Hundred was worth more than risking the lives of Indian citizens.
“Whether it is an Indian entity or an overseas subsidiary of the entity that is making the payment, if the owner is Indian then he or she is contributing to the Indian casualties. It’s as simple as that. Daniel Vettori, the coach of the team in The Hundred who hails from New Zealand, may not understand this simple dynamic and so may have wanted some Pakistani players in his team, but surely the owner should have had an understanding of the situation and discouraged the purchase. Is winning a tournament in a format that no other country plays in much more important than Indian lives?” Gavaskar further wrote.
SRH to be impacted in IPL 2026?
Gavaskar won’t be shocked if the turnout for SRH’s matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is low. He even expects protests or the crowd booing Maran, much like Hardik Pandya was last year. He thinks Maran still has time to correct the wrong, and if she does, perhaps there’ll be no backlash.
“It won’t be a surprise that for every game that this team plays, whether at home or away there will be massive demonstrations by Indian fans protesting at this hard-to-believe buying. In fact, it won’t be a surprise that despite having some of the most attractive stroke makers in their team the crowds may stay away and show their disapproval of the decision. There’s still time to undo the wrong and hopefully wiser counsels will prevail,” Gavaskar added.
Cricket
RCB's IPL 2026 matches confirmed to be held in Bengaluru, Chinnaswamy stadium gets clearance
